Revitalized Club Displays Traction Models at Four shows

***

The Southern California Traction Club re-affirmed its main purpose late last year to continue to demonstrate to the general public the feasibility of the operation of traction models from powered overhead wires. The club has added two new dynamic members and displayed HO scale traction models at four shows this month. The complete club display was available at the Great American Train Shows in Santa Barbara (Jan 10-11) and Anaheim (Jan 31-Feb 1). A display module was also displayed at the Golden Empire Modeling & Historical Society Show in Bakersfield and the Brass Railroader's Association All-Brass Train Show in Ontario on January 26^th.

Shown below are some photos of the modules at the shows:

The train above included two ex-New York City Subway cars enroute to a museum.

Above is a two-car train of PERy 1200 series steel cars. Finally a Suydam 1032, newly converted to overhead wire operation takes its first steps on the 970 module loop.

During the show, Bill Everett allowed a few of the members to visit is world famous O scale traction layout. Shown below (l to r) Bill Everett SCTC member Fred Gurzeler and  his father Fritz:

More on the tour in column 2.

At the Bakersfield Show, an O scale traction display sponsored by Guy Krivanek was on display.

The club has announced that the full 16' by 20' layout will appear at The Model Train Expo to be held at the Fairplex in Pomona on February 28-29. This second show promises to be bigger and better than last year, with many more major model train manufacturers in attendance so don't miss it.  The club will also display at the Model Train Show at Descanso Gardens, La Canada-Flintridge on March 13-14.  This show is sponsored by the Los Angeles Division of the NMRA. The club will also display at the Great American Train Shows in Pomona, CA, March 20 & 21; Ventura, CA, August 21-22 (tentative), Pomona, CA, November 6-7 (tentative) and Del Mar, CA, December 4-5 (tentative). The club nine sq. ft mini -display will be shown at San Mateo, CA, July 17-18 and Costa Mesa, CA, December 11-12 and the Great Western Train show in Victorville, CA, December 18-19! So if you like traction modeling, come visit. Workshops on different areas of traction modeling are held at each of these shows so if you have questions or ideas, come ask and share!

Nickel Silver Wheels for Bowser HO scale Trolley Mechanisms

***

Trolleyville recently learned that NorthWest Short Line is making nickel silver wheel sets available for the Bowser  HO scale traction mechanisms in four sizes:

#2634-6 26" wheels

#2635-6 30" wheels

#2636-6 33" wheels

#2637-6 36" wheels

These wheel sets consist of the wheel and partial axle that can be simply swapped for the original Bowser wheel set. The Southern California Traction Club has acquired several sets and is in the process of testing them. We will report on these in future editions of the Times.

-----------------------------------------------------

A Visit to Bill Everett's Traction Layout

***

During the Santa Barbara Great American Train Show, members of the Southern California Traction Club were afforded a personal tour of one of the finest traction layouts in a private home. This O scale layout has been featured many times in Model Railroader and almost all the cars were scratch built from card stock by Bill. Models range from the earliest Pacific Electric cars to the latest P-2000 Gold Line Light Rail Vehicle. The tour started in his garage where there are many traction memorabilia including overhead wire parts, dash signs, destination signs and heralds from many California streetcar lines.

Then the tour moved upstairs to the layout. As we moved from the garage to the loft layout, we saw a display rack of cars, recently installed adjacent to the dining room. It seems that Bill has created too many model cars to keep them all upstairs. We counted 64 models in this rack, included four Corgi 1:50 scale PCC cars.

Finally, the group made it upstairs and the view was breathtaking. The car barn tracks contain at least one of every car the Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway operated.

Next we watched operation of a three-car train of Pacific Electric Railway 1100's

Bill also builds models of the newer Light Rail Vehicles, largely ignored by the current crowd of model train manufacturers. Sharp eyed readers will see a model of both Los Angeles Blue and Gold Line cars, a Sacramento car, a San Francisco Boeing Light Rail Vehicle and a San Diego "Tijuana Trolley among others. Note how the older Key System "Bridge" units seems to blend in with the newer equipment.

While we were there, we saw the beginnings of a San Francisco Breda Light Rail Vehicle on the Everett workbench.

The writer had seen the layout before but is always glad to see it again. So if you ever get a chance to visit this layout, don't pass it up. You will be glad you did.